Politics Dispute over Taiwan: China advises citizens against traveling to Japan
In the course of an escalating diplomatic dispute, China has advised its citizens not to travel to Japan until further notice. In a statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing and the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, it says that Japanese politicians have recently "severely strained" the atmosphere for mutual exchange with "blatantly provocative statements on Taiwan" and "seriously jeopardized" the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan.
15.11.2025, 13:05
SDA
Several Chinese airlines, including Air China, have announced that they will refund ticket holders the full fare if they cancel their trip to Japan. The offer applies to flight tickets to Japan up to and including December 31. According to the latest data from the Japanese tourism authority, Chinese citizens are the largest group of foreign tourists this year.
The dispute stems from statements made by the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last week. The 64-year-old had said in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan, which is independently governed by Beijing, would represent an "existential threat" that could lead to Japan exercising its right to self-defense.
Takaichi's words caused a storm of indignation among Chinese representatives. The Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, for example, wrote in a now-deleted post on X: "The dirty head that interferes must be cut off."
China counts Taiwan as part of its territory, although the island republic has had a democratically elected government that is independent of Beijing for decades. The People's Republic wants to incorporate Taiwan and has already threatened to deploy the military. Until the end of the Second World War, Taiwan had been a Japanese colony for several decades.
